Harry Potter and the Necromancer
by freakyfinger
Summary: Abandoned. PostOOTP. Harry's back in his 6th year at Hogwarts. New powers, an inheritance, new friends, and one very mysterious person.
1. Conflict

Chapter 1: Conflict

It was a Hogsmeade weekend.

_Beat._

The trio ambled around, a sister in tow.

_Beat._

Carefree, they were. The couples kissed each other on the check ever so often.

_Beat._

Talk about pranks.

_Beat._

The Three broomsticks for butterbeer.

_Beat._

Laughter illuminated their faces. The warmth and love filled their booth.

_Beat._

They were his friends. His family.

_Beat._

Four empty bottles hit the table.

_Beat._

A sudden coldness. All talking stopped.

_Beat._

Fear.

_Beat._

A piercing scream filled the air.

_Beat._

"Dementors!" The voice spelled death.

_Beat._

A rush outside. The trio exchanged glances. They acted as one.

_Beat._

"_Expecto Patronum!"_

_Beat._

Three forms. Prongs, a beaver, and a wolf.

_Beat._

A mist appeared. From the youngest one. Her face, a mask of fear.

_Beat._

They charged the Dementors.

_Beat._

The tallest gored his way through.

_Beat._

The quickest shred their lower appendages and cloaks.

_Beat._

The smallest waddled to repel one from a fellow student.

_Beat._

Pain.

_Beat._

A soulless body hit the stone floor. No one noticed amongst the chaos.

_Beat._

_Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!_

_Beat._

The air cleared of fear. It filled with color instead. Red magic.

_Beat._

Reinforcements. Too late.

_Beat._

Screams of terror. Explosions. Wooden shrapnel. Torn, bloody robes. Defiance in the air.

_Beat._

"_Tutamentum!_"

_Beat._

A golden shield formed, incasing the trio inside.

_Beat._

Spells ricocheted off. The Death Eaters had their target.

_Beat._

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

_Beat._

A body hit the shield.

_Beat._

_Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!_

_Beat._

Silence.

_Silence._

_

* * *

_ **AN: **Please Read and Review. This story will start out a bit confusing, but It will all be made clear as the story progresses.


	2. Love

Love, it is the strangest and easiest concept known to mankind. It takes many forms: maternal, parental, between spouses, between friends, in devotion. It is the factor that drives us all. Love of family, love of friends, love of happiness and job, love of order and harmony, love of one self. We cannot live without it, for without it, there is nothing to live for. We do not always know when we have it, but we quickly realize its absence as soon as it comes to pass. Its lack of presence is what brings evil and hate. As dark is just the absence of light, so hate is just the absence of love. We strive for it, even if we deny it, every single one of us. Even through our wrongdoing, out lies, our sins, we are only trying to deny that which lets us live. We may 'live' without it, but it is not life. It is living, as in breathing, but it is not life. Life, true life, is to be surrounded by our environment, whatever it may be, and to always be at peace with the love that it gives.

Love rules our whole system of living, and yet we do not understand it. It can take the simplest form between an innocent child, and a toy. It can take the form of a mentor/disciple bond, a parent/child, a human/familiar, and a great deal more. Between two friends, where 'friend' is just the only word possible to describe the relationship. Love is the bond, not friendship, but it is oft misunderstood. Love is the bond between all living, non-living, and inanimate objects. It allows us to learn, to feel, to live. It powers the wheel of time itself, and its absence brings it to a screeching halt.

There is no such thing as Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Love and Hate. There is only Light and no light, Good and confused, Love and its absence.

* * *

**A/N:** Please Read & Review! I can not improve my story without input! 


	3. Funeral

Chapter 2: Funeral

A rectangle. Made of marble. A slab of marble. A box. A coffin.

A red shawl draped over it, partially covering it. It did it no justice. The shawl quivered as a cold, harsh gust blew by. Still, nothing moved.

The boy stood there for eternity. The raven-black hair stuck out at awkward angles. His scar did nothing but throb mutely. His face was stiff and dry. A single tear had rolled down slowly, but it had long dried up to leave its salty trail. He bent down slowly to retrace the words engraved on a small bronze plaque in front of the coffin.

"_May she continue to live in my heart forever."_

He never had a chance to tell her. The truth. He never received his change to tell her the truth. The truth about his emotions. For weeks, they had been dating perfectly. They woke up at the same time. They went to the Great Hall for breakfast, hand in hand. They shared each other's food, without a thought about what anyone else thought about them. They met after classes were over. They walked together to the Quiditch pitch. They flew together whenever their captain was drilling someone else. They sat and did homework together. And hand in hand, they bid each other goodnight. A hug, a kiss, a hug, and then off to bed. They never ended a day with an argument. They always shared their problems with each other. Today was supposed to be the day. _Not anymore. _

_Flashback_

_Creak._ The telescope groaned as it moved to track a new star. He scribbled some notes down: the time he found this particular star, the degrees west and north, the position of the moon on the lunar cycle, the power of the telescope. He peered through the scope once more, before he drew back and made a small sketch. He pulled out a list, and crossed out the bottom star. He stretched slightly, and then groaned as his muscles ached in protest.

"Ok, I'm gonna have to remember not to stay in one position for two hours next time" he said to himself, as he slowly stood up. He quickly gathered the various sheets of parchment laying around him. He ordered them, before tying them together with a small piece of rope. He stuffed this packet as well his other belongings into a sack, before sitting down again. He glanced around. Not a soul in sight. Not since ten thirty, when the last class ended. He reached into his pack once more, and pulled out a bottle. Butterbeer.

"_Congelo._" He whispered as he pointed his wand at the bottle. Its temperature dropped instantly. He pulled the cap off, and drank deeply.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Potter. What do we have here?" He whipped around. There, in the shadow, a person stood.

"Um, Astronomy Homework?"

"And where exactly does a butterbeer tie in with homework?" There was something about the voice; it sounded familiar.

"Ginny? Is that you?" A warm laughter confirmed his suspicions. "Blimey, you gave me quite a start."

She walked out of the shadow, and Harry's breath caught. She was wearing the thinnest school robe he had ever seen. It covered her, but Harry could still see the suggestive form underneath.

"See something you like?" Ginny teased. Harry could only stare in agreement.

"What . . . what . . . why . . . What are you wearing Gin?" He stuttered out.

Unbeknownst to him, the nickname caused Ginny's heart to flutter. Like it always did whenever she heard the name. It was his name for her; his and only his.

"Oh just something I picked out an old clothing store." She winced internally. She hated the fact her family had to spread their income for many people.

She walked closed to Harry, and stopped a few feet away. She peered into his face, more specifically, into his eyes. His gorgeous, green eyes; they betrayed him, as they always show his true feeling. She could see the admiration, and envy in his eyes. _Envy? What does he envy? Wait, does that mean . . ._

She shook her head as she brushed as that thought. Like THAT was ever gonna happen. As she stared into his eyes, she had to fight the urge to jump into his arms. As that thought came to mind, she remembered the reason she had followed Hermione's advice and came up here in the first place.

"Uh, Harry, I actually came up here to tell you something. Its something that I've tried to keep a secret since my first year, but lately it's been tearing me apart." She paused, and waited for his reaction. He just nodded slowly. _Here goes nothing._ "I'velikedyoueversinceyourescuedmeandIwantyoutoknowthatIlikeyoualot" _Well, that didn't go as planned._

"Uh, could you saw that again? At human talking rates?" Ginny looked at her feet as she blushed a bright red. She looked up again before she resumed talking.

"I love you"

Silence. Utter complete silence. Again, it was not what she had predicted. She thought he would respond immediately, either with complete denial or with complete agreement.

"I . . . honestly have no idea what so say Ginny. I—" He paused as Ginny held up her hands, motioning him to stop talking.

"Ever since the chamber," She paused as she closed her eyes. That was a very bad experience that still haunted her every few weeks. "I . . . I started seeing you differently. When I found out that my brother was the best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, well I was ecstatic. I always had the dream of marrying you and becoming famous. But, you then seemed different. You were my Hero. But you weren't like the Heroes in story books. You were a boy, just a year older than me, who was forced to face challenges that many of his elders could not."

"And you were always there for me since then." She could see Harry looked confused at this. "I've had nightmares of the chamber, but instead of Riddle dying . . ." She swallowed, as she tried to hold the tears back. She continued in a soft voice, "It was me."

At this Harry walked over and enfolded her in a tight embrace. "After a few dreams like that, they changed. Someone else came to save me. You." She looked up at him and grinned as a single tear made its way down her cheek. "And after that, they haven't been so bad. Even what I'm not asleep, you seem to be able help me. I keep a photo of you in all my books. Before I start my homework, I like to look at it, and remind myself that what I face is nothing compared your challenges. It always makes me calm down, no matter what mood I'm in."

She continued to look into his eyes. She could see his _Joy? He's happy about that? I thought he'd be furious!_

She raised one eyebrow at him, waiting for an answer. He looked down at her with his familiar half-grin. The same grin that would drive her crazy. She just wanted to kiss him right then.

"Well then, as you have confessed your secret, I shall confess mine. I like you a lot Ginny Weasley—" Ginny's heart was in her throat. "—and I have since you the Yue Ball of the tournament. Ever since you went with Neville, I became aware of how beautiful you had grown. I . . . I can't exactly say I love you, as it's not a feeling I grew up knowing." Both faces darken as the mention of the Dursleys. "But I can say I care you for deeply and—"

He was interrupted as Ginny wrapped her arms around his head and brought it down to meet hers. Their lips met in a kiss.

Harry gently moved his face back, his eyes never leaving hers. "Wow."

"Yeah, that was . . . amazing. You're a good kisser."

Harry blushed a deep red at this, but responded by pulling her closer into him. She felt so perfect, nestled up against his side. Both closed their eyes, and mentally sighed. They both wanted to stay like this forever. Wrapped in each others arms, oblivious of the curse of their lives.

"I'm fine you with you just liking me for now, but I expect that to change sometime soon," she said quietly. He looked into her eyes once again. Those great, deep brown eyes filled with loved. His heart melted, and he did the first thing that came to mind. He brought down his head, and her lips in a kiss once again. It was perfect.

_End Flashback_

It had been. Of course, Ron had beena bit protective of Ginny at first, but after seeing Harry and Ginny together (without him nagging them), he eased up. _A lot of good it did us in the end._ His thoughts were bitter. And now, he could protect her no longer. Not Ron, not Harry, no one could protect her now. He had failed and for that he felt he deserved the condition of his heart. Being with Ginny had placed his heart on a pedestal. It had now fallen, and it lay shattered. Not even Sirius's death had affected him so. He couldn't even try to blame someone else. He knew it was his fault.

Glancing at the grave once more, Harry let his arm drop to his side. Pulled his cloak around him, he walked a few feet away. With a small pop, he was gone.

* * *

**AN:** I know this story may be a bit confusing, but bear with me. It IS my first fanfic piece, and I've only known about fanfiction in general for about 2 months. Please Read & Review, for without your reviews, I won't know how to improve my story! Thanks! 


	4. Chamber

Chapter 3: The Chamber Revisited

4 years. 4 long years. It had been 4 years since he had been here. It was just another place he had battled Voldemort and won. It was also the place in which he had started to consider her. She was so small then. She was, of course, only 22 at the time. Harry walked over to the stone floor where she had once lain. He remembered how fragile she had been; how when he lifted her up, her head and arms had just flopped back.

He looked up from his position, and rested his eyes on the carcass in front. It was remarkably well persevered. Nothing was rotting. Except for the dried blood around the stab wound, there was no indication the basilisk was dead.

He walked over and bent down near the mouth. Pulled a dragonhide glove out of his pocket, he slipped it on. He reached in tentatively. His hand grasped a tooth, and he pulled hard. It resisted before slowly coming free. He examined it closely and noticed its poison sac was still intact. Basilisk had poison sacs in each fang, unlike their snake brethren. It was also one reason it is valued so much, as it is rare to get, but when it is attainable, it comes in abundance.

He pulled out a small metal box from the inside of his robes. Opening the latch, he placed the fang inside. Ever since he had learned of the magic residing in basilisk venom, he had wanted to come down and collect some. But that was before that … event. As he glanced once more into the mouth, he noticed a strange tooth in the back of the basilisk's mouth. He pulled his want out of his sleeve and muttered the lighting spell.

He ducked his head inside and examined the tooth closer. It gleamed silver. Pure silver. He reached out and grabbed the tooth firmly. With a sharp click, it came out.

"_Scourgify_!" Bits of the slime coating the tooth vanished. The rest stayed. It had dried on the tooth a long time ago.

"_Conjurus coactus_" he whispered. A small cloth appeared in his hand. "_Aguamenti!_" A stream of water emerged from his want and damped the piece of cloth. He then proceeded to scrub the tooth thoroughly. It was strange; it looked like a tooth, but there was an alien nature about it.

'_Acclaro areanus_" he said as he pointed his wand at the object. Nothing. That revealing spell was known to aurors only as it was particularly powerful. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he placed the second tooth in the box. He placed the box back into his robes, and stood up slowly. He turned and stared at the statue behind the snake. The giant face where it had once came out of. The mouth was shut.

"_sss . . . Open up . . . sss_" (**AN: **This is supposed to be parsel-tongue) he said at he stared into the stone face's blank eyes. There was a rumble, before the jaw of the mouth lowered, allowing access. His lighted wand in front of him, Harry stepped inside.

* * *

The tunnel was long and damp. There were no pools of water, but it could be wiped off the walls. His footsteps echoed hollowly throughout the tunnel.

His feet felt heavy. He must have been walking for over ten minutes. He glanced down at his wrist. Not many wizards felt the need to wear a muggle wristwatch but Harry thought it was the best way to keep track of time.

He kept going for another few paces before he noticed a change in the lighting ahead. He quickened his pace, until he reached a sharp turn.

He brightened the light form his wand, as he stared into the room at the end of the tunnel. There room was relatively small, but it went unnoticed by the presence of the object in the center of the room.

It stood the height of a man, with an unearthly bluish glow. The light of the wand reflected off the glittering surface. He stepped closer, and lowered his wand. There, Harry noticed a large pile of straw on which the object was resting; it was a nest. The object must be an egg. There were only a few creatures that could lay an egg of this size. Only one could come to mind because of this location, but that was impossible. _A chicken egg hatched under a toad._ It couldn't be . . . a basilisk egg?

Harry moved back to think. Basilisks don't lay eggs . . . do they? He raised his wand again. This time, at the ceiling of the room. It was a dome shape with an unlit lantern hanging from the center.

"_Incendio!_" The lantern's wick started to burn, and the chamber lit up more brightly. Harry's jaw dropped.

The walls ere covered with intricate designs and drawings. Some were etched into the wall, while others had been drawn on the rock. Running around the edge between wall and dome was a long inscription. _It must be Latin. Those words look like spell words, but I don't recognize any of them._ The letters seemed to shine with an oceanic blue light.

As Harry walked around the circular room, he noticed a small plaque at the base of the egg. It had two small paragraphs etched in: one in what must be Latin, and the other in what appeared to be the translation.

_Power is all but an illusion._

_Trapped by those who wish to protect._

_Stored, time and again, by the Mentors._

_Stored, not to abuse, but to use._

Harry conjured a chair, and sat down. _What the bloody hell could that mean? I really dislike prophesies . . . _He stood up, frustrated, and started to pace. _Power . . . illusion . . . so its not real. Trapped . . . to protect . . .Maybe . . .it's not an egg? It could be a . . . capsule? To store what? Power? How can one store power?_

He glanced at the 'egg' once more. It's surface still glittered. It seemed to cover some mysterious force, some alluring force that had no beginning, and no end.

He felt something. A need. A desire. A growing desire to touch the object. He stopped pacing, and looked at the egg once more. He reached out tentatively. _Should I or shouldn't I? It could be dark magic for all I know. It could be a trap. Hmm . . . well, only one way to find out . . . Mrs. Weasley would really freak out if she knew I was going to do this._ The thought of the energetic mother of his best friend brought a smile to his face.

_Flashback_

_It was his second year. He had just defeated the Heir of Slytherin once again, and was now in McGonagall's office._

"It was this diary," said Harry quickly. Picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen. . . ."

Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.

"Brilliant," he said softly, "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered.

"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school . . . traveled far and wide . . . sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasly. "What's our Ginny got to do with – with – _him_?"

"His d-diary!" Ginny sobbed. "I've been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year-"

"_Ginny!_" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you _anything_? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself _if you can't see where it keeps it brain_? Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was _clearly_ full of Dark Magic-"

"I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books mom got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it-"

_End Flashback_

He both chuckled and winced at the memory. He chuckled at what the Weasley parent's reactions would be that he, Harry, would even _think_ of touching an unknown glowing object. He winced at the pain of remembering his beloved. It brought back feelings and emotions he had not gotten over. Emotions, he could not deal with right now.

And with that, he steeled his resolve and reached out. His hand pressed firmly against the object for a moment, before going inside. His eyes widened in surprise, and Harry blackened out.

* * *

**AN:** Yes I know its been a while since I posted the last chapter. I've actually had this chapter written on paper for about a week or two, but I have been distracted from typing it up.

Anyway, please, Read & Review!


	5. Awake

Chapter 4: Awakening

He felt the mark burn again. He clenched his arm as he quickened his place. _Damn the anti-apparation wards! No one know our location, we don't need them! Even bloody Potter doesn't know where we meet._

Not that he could. He hadn't been at school in quite a while. Two weeks in fact. _Dumbledore must be covering for him. But where could he be? Even Weasley and the mudblood don't know his whereabouts. They haven't even reacted to my insults. Of course, it hasn't been that long since I killed that little bitch, so they might be just grieving for her._

Malfoy trudged through the forest, his wand lighting his path. He had become an official Death Eater over the summer holidays. Well, that's an ironic word. Holidays are spent having fun, not going around at midnight attacking mudbloods.

He reached the caver entrance. It always was gloomy. You would think that after years of being half-dead, you'd want some color in your life. He pulled up his sleeve, and pressed his wand to his mark.

_Bloody restriction codes. Why the hell do we have to warn HIM when we come close? The only people who would even want to fight him wouldn't give him a warning._

He felt his mark burn in response. He put his wand away, drew his hood over his face, and entered the cave.

As he passed through the cave's entrance, the giant bolder resting to the left of the entrance rolled to conceal the cave entrance.

* * *

The scratching of quill on parchment could be heard in the common room. The fire blazed magically-fueled, warming the one person still awake.

She looked at one chart and then the other. Glancing down at the essay in front of her, she scribbled another paragraph down.

_The 'fer' rune's unique shape gives it the extra long-lasting dimension. This makes it one of seven runes with 5 aspects. This extra dimension also allows the rune to specialize in healing long-term diseases. It is often inscribed on potion containers to increase the storage time. The most puzzling part of the 'fer' rune is that not all 5 of its aspects are known. As this rune has the form of a quint-star, it must have five aspects, but only 3 are known as of now._

_It is rumored that a powerful witch or wizard can incorporate this rune into a spell's casting motion to –_

She stopped writing for a moment to rest her wrist. She rolled onto her back and let her arms flop to her sides. She sighed and went over the next day's schedule. _First, double potions – no work due. Next, charms – a test on household charms. Care of Magical Creatures – study the history of the snidget in quidditch. Transfiguration – be able to transform a rock into a small animate rodent. DADA – a quiz on the dueling use of the 'praestigiae' spell and the partner project with Har- _

She shook her head gently as she pushed the thought away. It had been two weeks since he had last been seen. A month since Ginny's funeral. It had been a hammer drop on the entire Weasley family. With the Weasleys being so close to Harry, they had expected that they would lose one of their family, but not their youngest. Not the youngest one in the family, and the only Weasley girl in generations. It had fallen upon Molly especially hard.

Not only her youngest child, but her one and only daughter. Bill had found out a week after the funeral due to a business trip for the goblins. Charlie had been notified the day before the funeral and immediately came. He had arrived the day after. The twins, well the twins always seemed to do the least expected. They neither mourned nor joked about the matter. Instead, they locked themselves up in their shop for three days straight before releasing an entire new line of non-joke products for those who had lost someone in the war.

Ron would have been a truly lost cause if it wasn't for Hermione. He had bottled his emotions and was as cold as Harry for two days before he broke. It had happened in the evening, when Ron, Hermione, and Neville were doing their assignments in the Common Room.

_Flashback_

He sat at one of the tables. A potions book lay in front of him. The book had stayed on the same page for the last two hours. Ron had not moved a muscle. Ever since he sat down, he had yet to flip a page. It had become a painfully obvious fact to all in the common room, as many of the younger years excused themselves to other places.

Neville was sitting on one couch, Hermione next to him. She lifted her gaze off the book in front of her to once again glance at the red haired boy.

"Neville . . . we have to do something." She whispered out of the side of her mouth as she glanced once again at Ron. It had hurt enough to lose two of her friends. Ginny may have been the one who was killed, but Harry died that day as well. She didn't want to lose Ron as well.

"What do you suggest Hermione? I've tried talking to him and got the 'I'm fine'. If he was Harry, I wouldn't be as worried. I mean Harry does this all the time. But for Ron . . . its unsettling."

"I don't know what to do either, Neville, and it frightens me. I've read books about depression and how there are stages, but Ron's behavior doesn't fall in any of the groups: not denial, not anger, not sadness, not acceptance. I don't know what to do!"

"Hermione, I think only you can break him of his mood."

"Me? Why me?"

Neville gave her a look of incredibility. "Don't you two have something . . ." He gestured as if hinting at something.

"What like a relationship? Well, of course, Ron's my best friend along with Harry."

"Well, I did mean a relationship, but not that kind of relationship."

Hermione gasped. "What? Between Ron and me? We are just . . . friends. Just like Harry."

"Hermione, where you two aren't with Harry, you two are together alone either bickering or doing homework. Don't tell me you spend ALL you time concentration on studies."

Her cheeks turned a light pink. "Neville! I don't think about that – well, okay, I might have thought about what it would be like to kiss Ron. I mean he plays Quidditch so I know he's going to have some muscles . . . and he does eat a lot . . which might explain those wonderfully full lips . . ." She broke off as she began to stare at Ron, "and I love the hugs he gives . . . his arms always wrap around me and hold me close . . . .Oh, what am I saying!"

Neville chuckled as he saw the dreamy look turn to one of surprise. "I think THAT is what you truly feel about Ron, but you've had this best friend relationship going for so long that your confusing your true feelings."

Hermione's face took on one of despair, "I . . . I can't like Ron . . . Harry will he left out . . . "

"And did you ever feel like a third wheel when you were with Harry and Ginny?"

"Well, quite frankly, no. But then I was always with Ron so . . . onmygod!"

Nevile grinned. "And there you go ladies and gentlymen." He said with the voice of an announcer. "Hermione Granger, all around know-it-all had just discovered something she didn't know, her feelings for her best friend!"

"No . . . Harry's my best friend," Hermione said, more to herself as she stared at the redhead sitting at the table. "Ron's different . . . I don't think I quite realized how different my feelings for Ron and Harry were. I . . . I need to do something." And with that, Hermione started packing all her schoolwork away.

After putting everything away, she glanced at the table once before slowing coming up behind Ron. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Ron . . . are you okay?" She asked hestitently.

"I'm fine. I just need to study for Potions."

"Ron … why don't you take a small break? Come sit down on the couch." She squeezed his shoulder gently.

He sighed. "Alright." He slowly closed his book and set it on the table. He pushed himself up and ambled over to the couch opposite Neville, Hermione still guiding him. She pushed him down firmly but gently before sitting next to him.

"Ron, do you want to talk about it?" He sat still for a moment before his eyes teared. He turned toward her slowly before letting lose a sob. She pulled his head down into her lap and began to rub his back encouragingly as Ron broke down.

"Why her? Why her? Why did it have to be her? She was my younger sister not an older one. She shouldn't have had to face any danger at all." He cried, his voice breaking.

Neville quietly ushered the other students away from the couch and asked them to not intrude on a private moment. "We weren't supposed to have to face Death Eaters that weekend. Snape said nothing was planned!"

Hermione continued to rub his back comfortingly. "I know, but he was right. I double that was a planned attack considering how many died after trying to take on the Order."

"But why'd SHE have to die too?" His void cracked. "Why couldn't they have died before they killed her?"

Neville sat down softly on the couch opposite of Ron and Hermione. "Maybe its for the best, mate. Maybe this will help in the long run-"

"NO!" Ron shouted as he jerked himself up, startling Hermione in the process. "NO! DON'T SAY THAT! Her death is not and will never be a good thing!" He screamed before he dashed up the stairs to the boys' dorm.

Hermione sighed. "Neville, I may agree with you but please don't mention it. He needs to let this out of his system and that can't happen if he tries to hide his emotions."

"Sorry Hermione. I was just trying to help."

"Its Ok. I'll just go after him." She pushed herself up and walked to the stairs.

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Ron? Ron?" she gently pushed the door the 6th years dorm open. It swung in silently. She say him sitting on his bed. The wall's surrounding were covered with the orange posters of the Chudley Cannons. She walked over and sat on the side of his bed. She reached over and lifted his chin with her hand. She bent closer and pecked him on the cheek.

His eyes fluttered wide, startled. "Wh-What? What was that for?"

She smiled at him. "For being you. For never changing from that boy I met on the train over 5 years ago."

"Oi! I have changed! I've gotten bigger!"

"Well, okay. You've changed physically, but your emotions haven't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ron . . . I don't like it either, but Ginny's gone whether we want to accept that fact or not. Neville just sort of stated that in blunt terms. Since I've known you, you always act passionately whenever a topic deals with people you know."

Ron's cheek's colored pink. "Its hard, Mione. Ever since Harry asked Ginny out during the summer, she's been like a fourth person in our group. When she was more of my sister, I ignored her, you know? I was the youngest brother, so why would I want to play with the girl of the family? And well after Hogwarts started, I actually started to get to know her, not just make fun of her. And this year, well, all four of us are . . . were best of friends."

She leaned in toward him, and he enfolded her in his arms. "Ron, Ginny was like the sister I never had. I didn't know her too well during her first year, but we became friends after I woke her up from one of her nightmares of the chamber during that summer. "

Ron sighed. "I guess I should go down and apologize to Neville for acting like a prat."

"Well, as much as I despise it, Neville is quite used to your outbreaks. You do tend to have them quite often."

Ron winched. "Another one of those things that never change?"

Hermione grinned. "Yeah."

"What about those that do change?"

"Hmm . . . well here's one for you!" She raised herself up and brought her face to his. They kissed. To her surprise, it didn't feel unclean like it would if she had truly felt she was kissing her best friend. She moved back slowly, ending the kiss. Ron looked at her for a few seconds before grinning madly.

She looked at him, puzzled. "What?"

He continued to grin at her. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that?"

"Wh-What?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've fancied you? Well, if your confused, evidently not. well, it started somewhere around the Yule Ball. I remember you coming down the starts to put your hand in Victors. But I just can't stop remembering your face that night. You were so beautiful. It was an eye-opener. After that I could barely keep my thoughts straight for a while, I was always thinking of you." He brushed his hand against your cheek.

"And I was always hoping I could pluck up the courage and ask you out to a Hogsmeade weekend. And now after all this, you are the one who comes to kiss me."

Hermione blushed pink. "Actually I should say I really thought of you as by brother till quite recently. Neville said only I could cure you of your modiness and whie I didn't know what he meant, he explained it to me and it was only then that I questioned the different between what I felt for Harry and what I felt for you and I wasn't sure which was more of a sisterly affection and what was a fancy and as I couldn't to this to Harry without absolutely confusing him, I decided to kiss you and I want to ap-"

Ron held his finger on her lips. "Hermione, you're rambling. I don't care as to why you decided to come kiss me. All I care about is the fact that I wasn't the only one that enjoyed it."

A tear rolled down Hermione's right cheek. "Mione! What's wrong? Was it something I said? Merlin, I'm sorry if said something stupid. I'm not-"

It was her turn to quiet him. "Ron, I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm far from it. I was so scared you'd be mad at me because I just came to kiss you without a thought about how you might feel about it. In so many novels I've read whenever two best friends kiss, something happens that either brings them together or drives them apart. I was just scared it might be the former. And where did you get to be so apologetic? You've never done that before."

Ron's cheek's turned pink. Ron grinned slightly. "You know how Harry stayed at our house practically the whole summer? Well, after about four weeks, he asked Ginny out, and well, I've never seen her happier until then. I asked Harry how he got along with Ginny so well, as I've had dismayal luck with girls."

"Dismayal? Did Harry get you to study as well? I've noticed you haven't asked me about homework as much this year."

Ron grinned slightly. "yes, well after you see your best mate and your sister snogging on the living room couch, you want to get that image of your head and what better way to distract your mind than summer essays?"

"Ah, so it wasn't completely Harry's fault."

"Well, sort of. Harry's not as thick as me. It seems he's noticed I fancy you, so he gave me some advice. He said you would like it if I did my homework without any prodding. Besides which, when it leaves us free time to other things."

Hermione raised her eyebrows suggestively. "And what exactly would you like to do, Mr. Weasley?"

"I though you'd never ask." He cut off as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her.

_End Flashback_

Hermione opened her eyes as the memory left her. She sat up and stretched her back. Glancing at her wristwatch, she packed up her books. She piled them on the carpet next to her, before picking the stack up. Glancing around the room once more, she walked toward toe stairs of the girls dormitory room.

* * *

The orb's glow flickered brighter for a few seconds before returning to its original level. His gaze never left the ball. Reclining in his chair, Dumbledore let his mind wash over him. The orb was an indicator. At the beginning of the year, he had linked it to Harry. With Voldemort out in the open, Dumbledore thought it would be a good idea to know of Harry's state wherever he went. The pulsing white indicated that Harry was healthy, safe, and normal. Ever since Harry had not shown up in the Great Hall for dinner, Dumbledore had monitored the orb everyday for any sign. Nothing. Only the normal white pulse for the last two weeks.

"Where are you Harry?" Dumbledore mused to himself. "Where are you dissapered to?" _Severus has reported Voldemort is just as confused as to your whereabouts. Your friends need you Harry, and you them. The Weasleys especially. With the loss of their youngest-their closed tie to you-they are feeling the bite of darkness. Don't let that bite be infected and them, perish. _Dumbledore stood up and walked around his desk. He looked down upon the object in front of him. Godric Gryffindor's sword. Even after being brought to his office covered with blood and sweat four years ago, it had yet to rust. An amazing weapon. For an amazing person. It had been prophesized that it would be brought back into this world by one of Gryffindor's descendents for the Gryffindor Heir to use. His had traced the blade's outline through the glass case.

With a sigh, Dumbledore turned back to look around at the paintings in his office. Hundreds of previous headmasters with hundreds of years of experience with all sorts of situations, and not one had any idea what happened to Harry. A low hum jarred him of his thoughs.

Startled, he glanced around behind him. With a queit yelp, Dumbledore stared in amazement. The sword of Godric Gryffindor lay still no longer. It had risen from its perch and was glowing. Glowing with the red blaze of dragon fire. It was also humming with power. Dumbledore stared in awe. An angry whistle emerged from Dumbledore's desk. He spun around, his wand in hand. It clattered to the floor as he stared at his desk.

The once white orb was now glowing a light blue while emitting a high-pitched whistle.

"Harry!"

* * *

**AN:** School is over!

Please, Read & Review!


End file.
